Reconstructing the past environmental conditions of southwestern India using estuarine sediment core

Abstract

Geological archives can be examined via multiple proxies to uncover significant information about historical environmental changes. In comparison to single proxy approach, the use of multiple proxies can provide better resolution of the paleoenvironmental record. Thus, in the present study, to understand the paleoenvironmental conditions in the Kali coast in southwestern India, sedimentological, geochemical and isotopic (²¹⁰Pb, ¹³⁷Cs) proxies were used. The findings demonstrated that, in previous decades, the sedimentation rate varied from 0.5 to 1.0 cm/year under conditions with relatively higher hydrodynamic energy that were more common and fluctuating, allowing for larger sand particle deposition. However, in more recent years, finer particle deposition towards the surface has been observed under conditions with lower and more stable hydrodynamic energy, with a sedimentation rate of 1.87 cm/year. Additionally, the finer fractions displayed a strong correlation with the metal distribution, which was mostly governed by Fe-Mn oxides. Furthermore, it can be revealed that the environment was warm, humid, and marine-like between 1995 and 2000 based on chemical weathering intensity values and Rb/K ratios. A subtle shift to a freshwater habitat with relatively less warm, less humid climate occurred between 2000 and 2020. Therefore, similar research with longer depositional histories coupled with multiple proxies can help predict the future climatic shifts in decadal time scales.